Sunshine and Something Resembling It
by Blue Rogue Linds
Summary: Eight year old Masato thinks he is nothing but a worthless piece of trash. His friends decide to remind him that, contrary to what he may be told or forced to believe, he means a great deal to many people.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Uta no Prince-sama or any of its characters, songs, etc. They belong to Broccoli.

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Chatty socialites and businessmen filled the grand ballroom to capacity. It was one of the biggest charity galas of the year, hosted by the Hijirikawa Financial Corporation, of course. No gathering could boast such high attendance or a more worthy cause. The advertising it provided also made its rivals more than jealous.

Among the guests were a few children. The son of the event's host, Masato, was being chased around the buffet table by an older boy. Tears sprang from his eyes as he endeavored to get away from the blond devil, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Cut it out, Ren! I am _not _eating that thing!"

"Aw, but Masayan," his senior added with a feigned whimper, "it won't kill you! In fact, it tastes really good! Eat it!"

Round and round they ran, bumping guests along the way. Masato stole a glance over his shoulder and nearly met with the object of his disdain: a piece of raw sushi clutched between Ren's skinny fingers. A rush of air escaped him as he increased his speed and tore away from their trek around the buffet table. His friend was faster than he anticipated.

"Come on, don't be such a sissy!" Ren's grin stretched well into his ears. All of this exhilaration and enjoyment was going straight to his head, cutting off all common sense. He chased Masato down the stairs and into the main foyer. The frantic duo whizzed past two other children, a tall boy and a smaller girl.

"Ren, you stop scaring Masato! That's mean!" the girl squeaked indignantly. She tightened her hold around the older boy's big hand and stared up at him, looking for some kind of support. He couldn't help but return her fervent gaze. Ruffling her dark hair, he finally called out to them,

"You guys are gonna get hurt!"

But Ren ignored his elder's warning and continued chasing his friend. He didn't mean any harm by his actions. It was just amusing to see Masato speed around the room like a scared rabbit.

Quite tired of her cousin's shenanigans, the little girl scolded him a second time, "Leave him alone!"

"Take it easy, Sachi," Her lanky friend cooed and pulled her closer, "they'll eventually run out of juice."

"B-But, Ranmaru..."

"Just trust me," The preteen said with a reassuring smile. He pat her head and watched the other boys run laps around the ballroom as if it were an Olympic track meet. It'd be a lie to say he wasn't entertained by their antics. But he withheld any laughter for Sachi's sake, knowing how serious she was about Ren's unnecessary pranks.

Masato rounded the next corner and shouted over his shoulder, "Get away from me with that thing!"

Shrieks echoed around the ballroom as Masato skidded along the marble floor, crashing into a young woman. The glass she held was now airborne, spilling its crimson contents and staining her pristine, white gown. Shards of glass exploded as it hit the floor. But shock consumed Masato and rendered him unable to move as the pieces flew past him. The entire room was silent with exception of heels clicking along the floor in rapid procession.

"Are you all right?" The woman asked and touched the scratch on Masato's cheek. She gasped as he flinched and jerked away from her gentle touch with fear in his dark eyes. A shadow loomed over the two of them, belonging to none other than the gala's _generous _host, Hijirikawa Masaomi.

"I do apologize," he said with a sigh and helped his guest to her feet, offering her a handkerchief from his breast pocket, "my son is quite clumsy. Please, at least allow me to replace the dress."

Ren discarded the sushi and made his way through the crowd to where Masaomi towered. He stood between the daunting man and his son, trying to form words, "I-It wasn't his fault...I was the o-one who..."

"Enough out of you both!" The older man silenced Ren with a single shout. His sharp, narrow gaze pierced the shivering body of his vulnerable child. A deep-seeded malice filled his voice as he addressed the boy, "And you, don't even start. You have disgraced me. Until you can behave yourself in a socially acceptable manner, get out of my sight."

Tears fell from Sachi's eyes and she gripped Ranmaru's fingers even tighter. The older boy made a move towards Masato and his tyrannical father, but Sachi stopped him, shaking her head. She spoke to him in a whisper, "H-He's scary, but you'll make Masato cry even more if you get hurt too."

"Damn," Ranmaru rasped and closed his free hand into a fist.

Life returned to the ballroom as Masaomi's son fled the scene in a flurry of quiet sobs. Sachi broke away from Ranmaru and hurried after her wounded friend. The older boy watched her slip outside and then turned his attention towards Ren.

The little prankster just stood there, still and silent. His reflection stared back at him with disapproval. Never in his life had he felt so helpless, and so alone. Why couldn't he do anything? Stand up to Masato's father and tell the truth about what happened? How could he let himself be silenced?

"Hey," Ranmaru said and jostled his hair a bit, "whatcha standing there for?"

Ren's shoulders sank at his inquiry. "Heck if I know..."

"Yeah, well, there's a friend out there who needs you now. So get a move on," his elder added with a low drawl and shoved him in the direction of the garden.

"What if - "

Ranmaru held his hand out and interrupted him, "Just go. I'll take care of things here."

With the pride of a scolded dog, Ren nodded and made his way to the garden at the rear of the building. A sigh fell from his lips as he pushed the door open and was greeted with the vivid greenery of the season. Off in the distance, near the koi pond, sat Masato with Sachi at his side. Ren felt his stomach tighten as he stepped onto the grassy turf.

This was all _his fault_.

Sachi wasn't saying a word to the boy beside her. Her tiny hands glided along his back, attempting to soothe the storm he created. The two of them heard Ren approach from behind, but neither bothered looking back at him.

"_Please stop crying," _Ren's conscience pleaded.

He padded across the lawn and stopped directly behind Masato. This silence was unbearable, its weight crushing Ren with the force of a meteor. His teeth ground together and tears formed around his bright, blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Masato quit shaking and Sachi stopped rubbing his back. The two of them turned to the older boy and let their mouths hang open for a moment.

Tears were running down Ren's face. His eyes were red and puffy, his nose wet with snot. It was a rare spectacle indeed. The Jinguuji boy was never known to cry, regardless of the situation. To him, it was a sign of weakness. That was something he refused to embrace. But here he was, openly acknowledging that weakness for the sake of his friend.

"Y-You're not a disgrace," the blond stammered and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, "so don't believe a word your old man said. He's a big, fat liar and you know it."

A smile graced Masato's dirty face. "Ren..."

Sachi gasped and threw her arms around her older cousin. Ren simply laughed and shook his head. He then looked to Masato and mumbled a proper apology, "I shouldn't have chased you around like that or tried to make you eat that stuff. I know how much you hate it..."

"Just don't do it again!" came Sachi's motherly retort.

"It's okay, Sachi," Masato added with a slight laugh and flicked Ren in the forehead, "he knows better now."

Ren's mouth slanted into a frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you should be a good boy and follow orders," Ranmaru's voice interjected suddenly. The three younger children whipped their little heads around and beheld their senior with awe. A tablecloth was slung over his shoulder, filled with plundered treasures from within the ballroom. He spread their ill-gotten gains over the lawn and gestured for them to join him, asking, "Aren't you three hungry after all that crying?"

Sachi was the first to bound after Ranmaru, tugging on his hand and begging for his attention with her round, olive-colored eyes. He responded with a chuckle and lifted her into his embrace. A low grumble escaped Masato's stomach as he and Ren eyed the food from across the yard.

"Hurry up," Sachi chirped as Ranmaru sat and placed her on the grass beside him, "before it gets all cold and icky!"

The two boys grinned at each other and crossed the short distance to where their feast awaited. Ranmaru managed to swipe a wide variety of appetizers and confections. Among them was Masato's absolute favorite: chocolate cake.

A thought occurred to him as he speared a raspberry and popped it into his gaping mouth. He glanced to the side and watched Ren scarf an onigiri. Then he looked at his slice of cake once more. His angelic features darkened as he lifted a hunk of cake from the plate and shoved it in Ren's face.

Sachi and Ranmaru were too stunned to speak. Ren took one whiff of the sugary confection and wrinkled his nose, backing away from Masato almost instantly.

"What are you doing?" he inquired with obvious confusion and displeasure.

A wicked grin illuminated Masato's face. He took a step towards Ren and prodded at his tightly closed mouth with the cake. With a giggle, he commanded, "Eat it."

"G-Get the heck away from me!" Ren screeched and took off running with Masato hot on his heels.

Sachi took another bite of her parfait and mumbled, "Boys..."

Ranmaru couldn't hold in his laughter this time. He clutched his aching ribs and shook with the sensation. It wasn't Masato's revenge that made him giggle or even the hilarious sight of Ren's face contorted with genuine appall...

It was the joy of seeing them all together again, smiling and laughing. The way he knew it had and always would be. Together.

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**A/N: **This story's plot and premise were adopted from Mysyl's "Something Like Sunshine" with permission.Just so everyone is aware, Masato is eight, Ren is nine, Ranmaru is twelve and Sachi is seven in this story. It was betaed by gakumi and inspired by a scene in the manga. Praises, flames and critiques welcome. :)


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